Limi Feu

The world of Blade Runner is not quite upon us yet, but to tide us over we've got Tokyo's tribalism. All those kids strolling around Harajuku dressed as creatures from their fantasies—it's a perfect fashion paradigm. Limi Feu designer Limi Yamamoto has brought a refined version of Tokyo's reinventive impulse to Paris before, but never more so than with today's show. Inspired by the Irish performer Imelda May, Yamamoto filtered a quiff-cum-ponytailed, red-lipped, tattooed rockabilly babe through her own avant-garde fashion heritage. The result was something a lot more rockin' than you'd usually find in the often cerebral-to-a-fault Japanese design sorority.

For a start, Limi Feu's invitations featured star-shaped pasties. Once more with feeling—star-shaped pasties! Whatever they promised never quite materialized on the catwalk, but there was a flashiness that felt new for Limi. The striped tailcoat over a stretch dress over capris, the white dotted net dress layered over a froth of black tulle, the dévoré beaded top over black pants: Any of them would look mighty fine on rockabilly royalty. And Yamamoto went a step further with a black-and-white group that suggested nothing less than the cocktail party her rockabilly princess' parents might throw while their girl was out on the tiles. A dress was elegantly dissected down its front, a skirt slit up its back with equal grace. Meanwhile, the designer herself was wearing a T-shirt that declared her allegiance to the Misfits Fiend Club. Her boss wasn't happy, said Yamamoto, because it wasn't one of her own shirts. Rebel to the end, you might assume, except she also paraded a banner inviting the world's "genius doctors" to help guarantee Japan's kids a future. In the light of the disaster that still threatens her country, that seems like the least a responsible citizen should do.